Disclaimer : LONG post and it’s all about books. So pardon me if you find this post very boring !! Of late I am really very jobless. Another sign which reminds you that college life has come to an end. So am having ample time to nag all the people around me to the extent that they go mad and wonder why the hell my college got over..! Ever since college started I didn’t get the pleasure of reading any novels back to back, which I used to do when I was in school. My mom used to get so much irritated with that habit of mine that one day she threw all my books up at the loft. But she forgot that I used to have one big source called library at school. Fortunately mine was a good one. Being one of the bright students of the readers club at my school I was given 2 issue cards, which enabled the privileged to issue 4 books at the same time. So my happy soul used to issue 4 hardy boys collection and used to hide it between the big computer “C+” book. I never read that C+ book. Hate that subject. I still wonder how I passed in computer science. I still detest it. But that bloody subject still haunts me, cos now my sister is learning it at school and she comes to me with all scary doubts. Anyway this post is about the novels which I have finished in the past one week. So bookworms are welcome while the souls who use novels as pillow can close the window now itself.
I have been trying out new authors. I have not heard about some of them at all. But since I have lots like that right now so thought that why not give them a shot !!
My first one was THE BLUE HOUR by T.Jefferson Parker Murder mystery. 2 detectives nab down a psychopathic serial killer, who abducts beautiful young women from the malls and kills them in one horrifying way.
Nice plot. The author wanted to develop a very different type of serial killings which he tried to do in this book. The book has couple of kickass one liners, which prompted me to use them while I was chatting with one of my friends. She got so surprised that she logged out abruptly without even telling me bye. I guess I scared her off :D
At certain points, the author has given lots of technical details which will confuse you at times unless and until you are medical students. Such details lead to cooking up of biryani in the end, which is absolutely tasteless. You have to go back by few pages and read again to see what you have missed. But the climax was built nicely. You can almost feel the suspense.
Bottomline : “OK” book, which you can read when you are really jobless like me.
ABSOLUTE RAGE by Robert. K. Tanenbaum A lawyer and detective (husband and wife duo) investigates their neighbor’s murder mystery and in the midst fights hard to protect their own family from the killers.
Again nice plot. I loved the detective character, Marlene. Samma character. Even otherwise all the other characters sketched out in a nice way. All were given equal importance. Entire story was gripping.
Lots of useless details were given. They were of no use at all at times. Got bored when such huge paragraphs in the name of conversations came up.
Bottomline : “Good” one. It won’t bore you.
THE JOB by Douglas Kennedy
One smart salesman finds himself a victim of downsizing and then grabs upon a job offered by one of his friends. Unfortunately that job definition includes murders, fraud, embezzlement and lots of trouble !!! How he comes out of all the trouble is the story.
Now this guy can write !! If I remember this is the only book which I was not able to keep down at all, after Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. I just wanted to finish it in one go. The book is very fast paced and you enjoy the pace also. The Times has described it as “A furiously paced, compulsive thriller” which is really true.
His main character talks a lot !! Like my 4 year old cousin. At times you would like to shout out ”Will you stop thinking for a while and shut up?” But in the end, you will find yourself sympathizing with it when his wife leaves him.
Bottomline : “Brilliant” one. In fact I am going to try other books by this author.
WISH YOU WELL by David Balcaddi
2 kids, aged 12 and 7 meets with one accident which marks their dad under dead and mother under paralyzed and in coma. So they go off to Virginia mountains to their great grandmother where they have to get up at 5 in the morning to help her out with all the chores. But the new town’s greed and justice brings the family in one difficult position. How they protect each other and how they stand up for the other is the story.
This author is usually known for his suspense novels and this novel is his first attempt at a different beat. And I must say that it’s beautifully written. You will sail along with the flow of the story. Its written to the point. No useless dialogues. The characters and their feelings is sketched out beautifully
Bottomline : I loved it !! Finished the 368 pages in 7 hours flat !!
HORNET’S NEST by Patricia Cornwell Murder mystery again but never mind!! I was never able to go past 4 chapters. It’s beats even history books by making you feel sleepy.
Presently I am reading BEYOND YESTERDAY by Robert Wheeler. Kind of OK book but let me first finish it !!
Taken at my dad's office !! The lady who pitched up the line " Team work when the manager is not around" surely has a good sense of humor !! Notice the different names written on the puppies. Names of the people who work out there :D Unfortunately my dad name is not there :P
“Groan” “Yawn” “What?! “What the !@#$%” “aiyo” “Hey bhagwan”
Emotions that came out of different kinds of individuals when they came to know that the gate no has been shifted from 224 to 216. After some time, the temperature intensified to alarming rate when they discovered that the gate no has been shifted again from 216 to 116. Pleasant words were exchanged (sorry not exchanged, since it was only one way communication) between the airport authorities and the passengers. The lowes overflowed so much that authorities ears started bleeding.
After finally settling inside, we patiently waited for the flight to take off. 15 mins … half hour.. 45 mins… one hour… 1hour and 15 mins… 1 and half hour.. 1hour and 45 mins and finally after 2 hours the pilot announced that they were ready to take off.
Passing the time was not a big deal for me. 3 chinki guys were sitting next to me. They looked pretty professionals with all suits and ties dotted on. Would be in their early thirties. One was making planes out of the napkins provided to him, another was sticking the feedback forms over the first one’s head and the last one was trying to capture the art with his mobile camera. After one point they became so noisy that the airhostess came to them and made them do “finger on your lips”. Only after they got calls from their head office, they hushed down.
Finally the plane took off and we were given menu cards and were asked to pick our choices. Totally there were 3 dishes and 2 of them were non veg. Yours sincerely, being one pure vegetarian asked for the only vegetarian dish – Avial curry. While I was waiting for my turn to come, one steward came and placed a plate in front of me. I gave him one quizzical look and asked him for avail curry. He told its Shavial. I thought he pronounced Avial as shavial and tried to correct him.
Avial? Shavial mam! Avial? Shavial !! No, I want the avail curry (Showing him the menu card) Oh !! You didn’t ask for Shavial? (Almost in tears!!) NO!!! Oh!! Sorry mam!!!
I still don’t know what he meant by shavial.. ! Finally my Avial curry came and I happily scooped it in a spoon and placed it in my mouth. The minute I placed in my mouth, the colour of my face changed from turquoise blue to peacock green!! With the steward watching my reactions intently, I quietly kept the spoon down and gulped down water. In the end, I was very much contented with the bland coffee, dry bun and not so fresh fruits !!
The final blow came when the plane started shaking violently on air. Announcement was made by the pilot requesting us to put up our seat belts. After one point of time, one was able to hear “allaaaaaah” on my left side, “sai ram, sai ram, sai ram” chants on my right side and “oh lord!! jesus save us” at the back. Even the chinki guys were murmuring something. Though I tried to decipher what they were chatting but I was not able to understand. Amidst all these confusion, one fat guy was snoring away to glory. He got up only when his wife smacked his head!! First came a big roaring yawn and then only he understood the seriousness. Ultimate comedy was when the pilot warned us to gear up for a belly landing. The volume of the chants became louder and occasionally someone played along in the orchestra with sounds of burping and puking. We did have a rough landing. People even also got small bumps on head. Which looked like the bumps Tom cat gets in the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. People were walking like drunks when they were getting down from the plane. It was a complete circus!!
Thus an eventful day came to an end. The funny part was that I was so busy in observing others antics, that I forgot the seriousness of the situation at that time. The Funniest part was when one air hostess was busy watching me observing others and forgot her job and when she mentioned that when we were getting down. My reaction?!
Scenario : Random conversation ranging from few department’s sense to NCC talks to council talks to cousin’s talks to friend’s talks to latest news on IPL Over paratha panner, Manchurian rice, Sambhar rice, idli , fried rice channa and one lime tea !!
V : hmmm.. eppa enna panalam? Enga polam? (For those souls who don understand Tamil, its now what do we do? Where should we go?)
N : Anyplace is fine “Yawn”
“Excuse boss you have a msg!” A checks her mobile
L : Hey will go for ayan huh?
M : Yeah! “with a big 100 watt bulb smile on her face” (she is a big fan of surya!!) But I have to withdraw money.
V and N : Inward “Groan”
“Excuse boss you have a msg!” A checks her mobile
Me : “Yawn” Guys dabbu ledhu.. ! Didn’t know that you will plan to go out. We will go some other day
“Excuse boss you have a msg!” A checks her mobile
L : Ya.. even I am bankrupt.. What about Beach?
Me : I don’t have any prob!!!! (I am a big fan of nature you see :P)
N : It will be too hot!
“Excuse boss you have a msg!” A checks her mobile
V : Ya!
M : “Yawn”
Me notice a big smile on A's face!
Me asks her : What?
A: No more current affairs paper in our life!!! “With another BIG grin”
M: Yaaaa!!!! Then she gives another 100 watt bulb smile and claps her hands and starts jumping up and down!
V, L and N watch M do all this circus tactics for 2 mins and burst out laughing.
M sees them laughing and laughs along!!
Me and A look at each other and shake our heads! A gets another msg and again she checks her mobile. After 2 mins again V repeats the first dialogue, Hey where shall we go?
Me and N : “Yawn”
N : You know what? Let us all go home and sleep!!! I am sleeeeepy !!
Me : Ya ppl! Even I am sleepy. Myself and N started studying at 12 only yesterday night and I slept at 3.
“Excuse boss you have a msg!” A checks her mobile
N : I slept at 5. 30. We will go out some other day.
M : Ok ok ok!!
Conversation ends!
Bottomline : The conversation may be a waste of time but still I will miss it!! College life is coming to an end and there will be no more V’s comments on dress sense of few departments, N’s attitude and sarcasm loaded replies, L’s endless bitching about “You know who” and A’s endless talks on NCC and M’s circus tactics.. !
Yes Anusha I will miss your mokkai also... And I will miss all my other classmates also!! But I don’t want to get all emotional and nostalgic and write one big post about it...! Though these three years in this college were utter waste but I gained lottsa experience in many things (I don’t want to talk about it here cos my dad will bash me!!) (Includes good things also so pls dont get upset dad :P) and got lots of good friends and am happy for that :)
